Kudumbavilakku (transl.Lamp of the Family) is an Indian Malayalam-language soap operadrama television series.[1] The show premiered on Asianet and also streams on Disney+ Hotstar. Meera Vasudevan portrays the lead role in the series, returning to television after thirteen years.[2][3][4] The first season of the show aired from 27 January 2020 to 1 December 2023. The second season aired from 4 December 2023 to 3 August 2024.[5][6]
The show revolves around a Malayalee homemaker, Sumithra Menon and her family. Sumithra, a devoted housewife, mother and daughter-in-law, is family-oriented and self-sacrificing. Sumithra is married to Siddharth Menon and has three children; Anirudh Menon, a doctor, Pratheesh Menon, an aspiring musician, and Sheetal Menon, a college student. They live with Siddharth's parents, Shivadas and Saraswati. Siddharth falls love with his Junior Officer Vedhika.Except for Shivadas, Pratheesh, Ananya, Sreekumar and their servant Mallika, no one cares for Sumitra's happiness or feelings. In addition to this misery, Siddharth divorces her and marries Vedhika. Initially devastated, she realises her worth and attempts to rediscover herself. How she transforms into a head-strong woman and gains the love of her family forms the crux of this soap-opera.with the Support Rohit and her Family,She starts her business "Sumithra's" which makes her a business magnate.Vedhika creates more troubles in Sumithra's life,but she Overcomes it.In these days, everyone except Saraswati realised Sumithra's importance.Vedhika makes Siddharth's life more difficult.Rohit falls love with Sumithra.Later, Sidharth files divorce case against Vedhika in order to remarry Sumithra but Sumithra gets remarried with her old classmate and friend Rohit. Vedhika didn't want divorce and she argues in the court for not allowing separation. But some days after Vedhika became a cancer patient but Sidharth didn't took care of her and threw her out of the home. Sumithra takes her to Sreenilayam and they became good friends. Vedhika recovered from the disease. Later Sidharth met with an accident and got full body paralyzed. Sumithra and family looked him very well and he slowly recovered. Shivadas died due to heart failure during his ninetieth birthday. The incident shocked Sreenilayam family. After a few days, Pratheesh and Sanjana with their child moved to Chennai and Ananya moved to abroad where Anirudh is working, Vedhika got out of Sreenilayam and went to Sampath, her ex-husband to meet her son Neerav and request him to send Neerav to her mother's home where she lives for just three months before they shift to Abroad. Sampath didn't agreed but after several requests, he allowed her to stay at his house for 3 months. Then Vedhika and Sidharth got divorced. Sampath remarried Vedhika and lived peacefully with their child. Rohit and Sumithra moved to Rohit's house. Sidharth moved from Sreenilayam to find a job after writing a letter thus making Saraswati alone at the house. Saranya, her daughter take her mother to her husband's home but she began to advice Saranya to took over control to Sreekumar, Saranya's husband. This made Sreekumar angry and asked Saranya to move her out of their home. Saranya took her to an old age home. Then Sumithra started a new life with Rohit and Pooja. The season ends by showing Sumithra, Rohit and Pooja going for a trip.
Season 2
The show takes a 6 years leap. Sumithra mets with an accident and was in coma for 6 years. Pooja survived from the accident but Rohit died. The season begins with Sumithra waking up from comma. She is taken to Deepu and Chithra's home where Pooja is also living. Sumithra's mother died few years back because Sumithra was at coma. Now Sreenilayam is under hands of Paramashivam. Ranjitha, Rohit's sister falsely acquired rights over Rohit's property and she is running all of it. She hates Sumithra and wishes her son Pankaj to get married with Pooja. But Pooja is in relationship with Appu, Deepu's son. But both of them never shared their feeling of love. Ananya and Anirudh working in Abroad are on the verge of divorce, they are guardians of Swara, Pratheesh's daughter. She is living with Prema, Ananya's mother. Sheethal was in depression state and got aborted. Her husband Sachin treats Sheethal very badly. Anirudh and Ananya returned to Kerala and they decided to live along. But Anirudh is thinking that his Mother is dead as Deepu lied him according to Ranjitha's instructions for money. Pratheesh is in jail for last years in case of murder of Sanjana, his wife. Saraswati Amma was in an old age home for last years, she found refuge in Sumithra's rented house. Saraswathi Amma went to Ranjitha's house and asked Sumithra to stay in the house as it was originally belongs to Rohit. She decided to stay at Ranjitha's house and decided to solve the mysteries of Rohit's death and Ranjitha's falsehoods. Meanwhile, Sidharth, who left home for finding a job in a foreign country returns home. He unexpectedly meets Anirudh, Sidharth is Shocked To Learn About Sumithra's Death as Anirudh Told Him. He found Sheetal's home and when he reached there, Sachin was about beat Sheethal with a wood piece. But accidentally Sidharth got beaten. He was taken to Hospital and Saraswati took him to Sumithra's home, where he was shocked to see Sumithra alive. Siddharth asked Anirudh to meet him and thus Sumithra met Anirudh. Anirudh and Sumithra visited Deepu and he begged for forgiveness thus he became a good person. Pratheesh returned from jail. First he wanted to go away with Swara. But on seeing Anirudh and Ananya's sadness he agreed to live with them along with Swara. Meanwhile, Pooja revealed her love to Pankaj but soon she realised from Appu that it's a trap. In revenge, Pankaj tried to pour acid on Pooja. But she escaped, Sumithra gave a complaint against him and Police arrested him. Then Sumithra and Pooja with help of evidences Sumithra collected when she stayed in Ranjitha's house, reclaimed Rohit's property. Sachin got into an accident that changed his behaviour to Sheethal. Sheethal and Sachin lives happily. Anirudh, Pratheesh and Sheethal compelled Sumithra for a third marriage. She agreed and when the whole family reached temple for marriage, Sumithra disclosed that Pooja and Appu will get married on that day and she said that she didn't want to marry anyone and she will live rest of her life happily with memories of Rohit. Ranjitha visited temple and requested Sumithra to withdraw complaint against Pankaj and she agreed. Pooja and Appu got married. The series ends by showing Sumithra's life with Rohit's memories in Sreenilayam House.
Krishnakumar Menon as Sidharth "Sidhu" Menon[11] – Shivdas and Saraswathi's son; Sharanya's brother; Sumithra and Vedika's ex-husband; Anirudh, Pratheesh and Sheethal's father; Swara's grandfather. (2020-2024)
Shwetha Venkat[12] (Episode 1 to 58)/ Ameya Nair[13] (Episode 58 to 110)/ Saranya Anand[14](Episode 111 to 1003) as Vedika – Vasumati's daughter; Siddharth's ex-wife; Sampath's wife; Neerav's mother
F. J. Tharakan as Shivadas Menon[15] – Saraswathi's husband; Sidharth and Sharanya's father; Anirudh, Pratheesh and Sheetal's grandfather; Swara's great-grandfather. (2020–2023) (Dead)
Devi Menon as Saraswathi Menon[16] – Shivdas's widow; Sidharth and Sharanya's mother; Anirudh, Pratheesh and Sheetal's grandmother; Sumithra's and Vedhika's Ex-Mother-in-law; Swara's great-grandmother. (2020-2024)
Dr. Shaju Sam as Rohit Gopal[17] – Ranjitha's brother; Sumithra's classmate and husband; Pooja's father; Anirudh, Pratheesh and Sheetal's step-father; Swara's step-grandfather. (2021–2023) (Dead)
Vaishnavi Sai Kumar as Ranjitha – Rohit's sister; Aravindhan's wife; Pankaj's mother. (2023–2024)
Recurring
Sreejith Vijay[18] / Anand Narayan[19] as Dr. Anirudh Menon – Sumithra and Sidharth's elder son; Rohit's step-son; Pratheesh and Sheetal's brother; Pooja's step-brother; Ananya's husband; Swara's adoptive father. (2020; 2024) / (2020–2023)
The show was launched on 27 January 2020 at 7.30 PM.[35] After COVID-19 related break show began airing at 8.00 PM from 15 June 2020.[36][37] The show maintained good TRP for over 3 years.[38][39] The show was shifted to 10.00 PM from 20 November 2023 for climax episodes.[40][41][42] But due to its high rating in the slot, the channel decided to extend the show by starting a new season from 4 December 2023 with taking a 6 years leap in the story and with a slight new cast.[43][44] On March 11 2024, the show was shifted to 6.00 PM due to launch of Bigg Boss season 6.[45] As the second season didn't get much popularity as compared to predecessor, its viewership gradually decreased and went off-air on 3 August 2024.[46][9]
